Leave your receiver hitch on gents

This^^^^ bad idea to leave it on imho.

 

I use to live in an area with lots of home building going on. Every day on the way home I would see them piling out at the convenience stores. Jump right back in the truck and pop the tops.

 

Yep, mine is a permanent fixture on the truck. You wouldn’t believe how many times it’s literally saved my ass. Just last week an old lady ran into me at a red light. Didn’t do a thing to my truck but caved in her bumper a little bit. Gave her a big smile and a thumbs up and kept on going.

 

Thank you everyone. I'm a former LEO for 12 years. Illegals wo insurance is a big problem here in houston as well as in other cities. It's a fight we all have to take on. Hitting Shins are a no fun experience. Lol. It's happened to me b4. Yes I'd rather replace a bumper than have frame damage. I'm not one to want anyone get injured from a accident as I've worked many minor and major accidents w deaths involved. But I tow alot and I'm not removing my tow hitch each time. It saved me and my wife but if my frame got bent, they will buy me a new truck esp since mines paid for.

 

Just take them out, clean out anything inside the receiver, maybe spray a lubricant in there. Otherwise if it stays there un-touched for too long and the day ever comes that it needs to come out for something you're probably gonna work up a bit of a sweat.

 

I had a similar situation last year when driving home on I95 with my kid. It was raining lightly and we were in stop-n-go traffic. This woman in a Dodge Durango was on her cell phone and she kept getting distracted. So, she always had to speed up to catchup with me and other traffic ahead of her. Then, she would come up so fast that she had to mashed her brakes to avoid running into me. So, after seeing her do that a couple of times, I told my teenager to brace for impact because she was going to eventually hit us.

No sooner after I said that, she ran right into our asses. I immediately put the truck into park and applied the mechanical brakes. I go out and walked towards the rear of my truck to asses the situation. That’s when this blonde old chick came out of the Durango shouting out all hysterically apologizing. So, I could see that her front bumper was already partially torn off as I walked towards my truck’s rear. I was beginning to fear the worst for my truck. But, as I got to the back and looked at my truck, I didn’t have not one scratch. My tow hitch took the hit.

I then turned to her and said that I was good and that there was no harm done. But, if she wanted me to call the cops and report the accident, I would be happy to do so. She immediately said that she would be ok with not reporting it if I were. And that, her husband would take care of her damaged front bumper.

So, I told her that I had it recorded on my rear cam, if she will need a copy in the future for any reason. She then assured me that it would not be necessary.

 

In my m5 I have front/rear camera for a couple years now. I need one for my gt3 but havent decided which one because I want a diff brand and will buy one for the truck as well.

 

That's why I have one of these.

 

That's the way to do it^^^^

 

I understand both sides of the argument here. Leaving it on definitely becomes a shin banging hazard LOL. I used to leave mine on so I was always ready to throw my dirt bike trailer on there. I also understand that it is illegal in some states or counties.

But the argument about it causing more frame damage doesn’t seem right to me. Whether you have a trailer hitch in the receiver or not, if you get into an accident that person is still smashing into your receiver, then the potential for bending the frame is the same whether they hit your hitch, or receiver without one.

I also understand it does more damage to the other person‘s car since it basically punches a hole about 10 inches in the front of their car. Instead of just hitting a flatter surface, potentially doing less damage overall to both vehicles. But... Who was the one getting hit, and who was the one doing the hitting? Should’ve been paying attention. Now you’ve got a hole in your car. Lucky that wasn’t a motorcycle rider they hit.

 

I have the weathertech bumper guard in my hitch. Saved my truck back in October when a car load of teenagers driving daddy’s BMW hit me while at a stoplight at 5AM. Shop said damage would have been worse without it on.

 

After my bumper was damaged in a parking lot I thought about putting mine in. I most likely will after I get my new Ranch Hand bumper.

 

Of course . She didnt want any evidence lol

 

I'm like this though. If your gonna rear end me messing up my car, day, time off and money I'm gonna make sure you feel it w the whole monte.

 

I understand the "don't leave the drawbar in just in case you get hit so you don't end up with a bent frame" crowd but...I shuffle boat trailers around in my driveway and tow way too often to take my hitch out. My Fab Fours rear bumper isn't going to crumple anyway. It's kind of like taking everything of value out of your truck in case someone breaks in. It's just too much trouble.

 

My set up on the '07, but the hitch in the '02 remains empty.

 

That's happened to me four times. I ended up with minor to no damage on the first the three.

The last one was a Dodge Durango going about 50 mph and I was stopped at a light. The hitch didn't help very much on that one.

 

I've got news for you. If they hit your hitch hard enough to bend the frame it was going to bend the frame anyway.

 

At least if they're stuck on your hitch they can't drive off and leave you to handle it through your collision coverage.

 

True. Very true. Then again, I have a supercharger and they have a crushed radiator and fan, so....

 

X2.

The hitch does more harm than good when getting rear ended. All the force goes directly to the frame rather than getting absorbed by the bumper first.

Frame bent equals totaled in most cases.

 

For anybody that doesn't understand how leaving a hitch in can do more damage to the truck than with hitch out, take the scientific approach and think about it.

When you're trying to break a stubborn bolt free, what do you do? Grab the longest handle possible and pull, it pops right off without much force. Have a shorter handle? Add a little more force. Have essentially no handle? It's probably not coming off. This is due to the moment that a larger lever creates. This is exactly what your hitch does, unless of course the impact is PERFECTLY 90 deg. to your hitch/frame and no downward rotational impact.

Next, think about the differences in pressure. Take a pen with the cap on it, and try jabbing it into your hand. Hurt only a little bit, didn't it? Now take the cap off and try jabbing it into your hand again with the same force, it hurt a hell of a lot more huh? That's because the amount of pressure increased. Pressure is related to force and area. The larger the area, the less amount of pressure.

Would you rather have 5000 lbs hit your truck in one teeny tiny spot, or would you rather have the 5000 lbs of force spread out over 6 feet? I can promise you that you will feel one of them less than the other.

 

That's my plan. What folks aren't considering is that the OEM Tow package receiver is a BEAST! When that receiver is bolted to the frame, it can handle a very severe rearender. I know this from my 07 getting rearended. That receiver saved my frame. That being said, I'd be real hesitant to leave anything attached that hung lower the the center of the receiver. All it would take is a severe rearender from a large vehicle, not a Camry, and hit at the right angle and you have a messed up frame. My 2 cents

 

This^^^^

 

This what this what I have on mine. It’s made by skid mark

 

Cool I have an extended receiver. I was at an off ramp light and this lady came around corner not paying attention and hit my receiver no other damage. When I don’t have it in I have one of the hitch steps in, only drag about it; is sometimes i forget its back there and I smack my knee or shins on it.

 

Surrounded by IDIOTS !!!

Hitches - loved by some- HATED by others !!

 

I'm pretty sure leaving a draw bar in the reciever is a no-no in PA.

 

Maybe where they salt the roads. Never had a problem in Tx.

 

Take that Bolt lock out and lube now and then. I had one freeze up on my Tacoma. I lube mine whenever I change hitches. Bolt sent me a new one but it was a bitch to break free.